Flutey and Filipo tries not enough

WASPS did little wrong at Adams Park this afternoon, but the days when the black and golds could determine their own fate have passed.

Northampton Saints are one of a few teams in the Premiership operating at a different level and despite not playing their best, they were fairly comfortable winners against a game but ultimately inferior Wasps team.

For half an hour Wasps met the challenge head on and, appropriately for this weekend, it was the hosts providing the fireworks in the scrum and on the try front.

Their pack, much-maligned in recent seasons, was overpowering Saints' stellar cast-list and despite the presence of Chris Ashton and Ben Foden, it was England reject Riki Flutey who scored the first try of the match.

Northampton however, were simply too good.

When Wasps were on top in the first quarter the visitors didn't yield an inch and their watertight discipline denied the black and golds the chance to build a lead off the tee.

The same wasn't true when Saints began to control the pitch and Ryan Lamb could afford to miss four kicks at goal and still end the afternoon with 14 points.

Certainly the performance of referee Tim Wigglesworth didn't help the black and golds at all, but he wasn't the difference – Wasps were good but, against this Saints team, not good enough.

It had all begun so well though and they signalled to everyone that they had come to play in a high-quality start to the match.

Superb kicking from Nick Robinson and Hugo Southwell meant it was the black and golds who were controlling the pitch and a solid set piece ensured they didn't give it away cheaply.

In fact, apart from a brutal challenge on Robinson from Courtney Laws, the highlight of the opening ten minutes was the Wasps scrum.

They won a penalty against their guest the first time the two tribes packed down and a few minutes later were no less imposing as they had the Saints retreating hastily from their own put in.

The first score though, went the way of Saints when Flutey was penalised for not releasing Lamb.

The fly half got up to knock over the kick and after 16 minutes he did it again.

Wasps were a man down by then after Tim Payne had been yellow carded for throwing a punch, but Wasps had also hit back at their opponents in a more constructive way after 18 minutes, when all their key threats combined to pierce the line.

First Simpson turned Saints with a chip over the top, a good chase from Tom Varndell put Ashton under pressure and when the ball squeezed out behind them Christian Wade skipped through to collect the loose ball.

Foden blocked his route to the line, but before the England full back could make a tackle Wade looped the ball over his left shoulder for Flutey to dive over unopposed.

Robinson missed the touchline conversion but he did land a long-range penalty soon afterwards to give Wasps an 8-6 lead after 30 very impressive minutes.

That's how it remained when the television cameras failed to save Lamb after he sent a kick off the tee directly over the left upright, but the penalty count against Wasps did creep up as the half went on and further infringements in the 32d and 35th minutes saw the Saints ease into a 12-8 lead by the interval.

By then they were good value for it. In the last ten minutes Northampton had begun to exert their influence more – twice in the latter stages of the half their pack had got the better of Wasps in the scrum while the hosts had the superb Simpson to thank for leaping on Ashton's back when the England winger had just green grass in front of him.

However, the change in momentum continued into the second period when Soane Tonga'uiha flopped after three minutes after the restart.

Wasps can legitimately point to a blatantly forward pass from Lawes in the build up – almost a full yard forward - but 17-8 it was and from somewhere Dai Young's team needed to find their best half hour of the season to make it three Premiership wins in a row.

It wasn't happening though.

Penalties at inopportune times cost them to much territory and the deal was done with 25 minutes remaining when Saints' other prop, Brian Mujati, ran through two Wasps players to score under the posts.

The conversion stretched the lead to 24-8 and although the hosts responded through Ross Filipo ten minutes from time, levelling the try count at two each, they were only really chasing a bonus point by that time.

They didn't get it. The final ten minutes was all Wasps, but Saints kept them at bay with few scares.